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News Briefs
Arts Council presents 14th annual Hands on the Arts
Fifty professional artists from throughout the Bay Area join forces on Saturday, May 15, for the largest and oldest art festival designed just for children. In its 14th year, Hands on the Arts is presented by the City of Sunnyvale and Arts Council Silicon Valley. The festival is primarily for elementary and middle school children, although some of the workshops are appropriate for preschoolers with their parents' assistance.
Children can participate in any of the ongoing workshops in performing and visual arts. The workshops include music, dance, painting, poetry, theater and sculpture representing many cultures. Children can create and experience colorful murals, Japanese origami, puppets, Chinese kites and world dance.
Hands on the Arts is free and open to the public with food booths and stage entertainment throughout the day. Costs of the workshops are $3 per child with a maximum of $10 per family.
Advanced Micro Devices and Applied Materials are the primary event sponsors, with additional sponsorships from County of Santa Clara, Deloitte & Touche LLP, Pacific Printing, Target Stores, United Defense LP and KICU-TV Channel 36. The festival begins at 10 a.m. and continues until 5 p.m. at the
Sunnyvale Community Center, 550 East Remington Avenue. For more information, call Sunnyvale Community Center, 408/730-7350.
Orchard Heritage group hosts its annual Blossom Faire and Barbecue
The Orchard Heritage Park Interpretive Exhibit group is hosting the Blossom Faire and Barbecue May 22 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. to honor the valley's original orchard families. The event will also serve as a fundraiser for OHPIE's planned interpretive exhibit--a permanent tribute to the valley's orchard heritage that will be located at the Sunnyvale Community Center.
Paul Bernal, chairman of the Santa Clara County Historical Heritage Commission, will lead an orchard talk and tour. The event also includes book signings, children's activities, and old-time music.
Organizers hope to collect information on more families involved in agriculture in the valley at the barbecue; an "honor roll" of orchardist families will become a part of the permanent exhibit.
For more information, call (408) 739-5004.
City Council passes stricter FAR requirements
As part of Silicon Valley's collective concern with the growing size of city buildings, the Sunnyvale City Council unanimously passed an ordinance that limits the bulk of industrial structures.
Councilmembers agreed that buildings in the industrial areas of the city should not exceed a 35 percent floor-to-area ratio (FAR)--this ratio is calculated by dividing the total building area into the total lot area.
Councilmembers unanimously adopted the ordinance, which also restricts the criteria for exemption from the FAR requirement. Councilmembers agreed that issues such as community character, traffic and air quality, and site design and architecture could be factors in making exceptions to the 35 percent ratio.
In leading the motion, councilmember Jim Roberts said that it is always a difficult issue to balance the need for a growing economy with the demands placed on transportation systems and quality of life that development brings. He said that by limiting the overall FAR, Sunnyvale will be better able to strike that balance.
New postal code a no-go, for now
The proposal for a new Sunnyvale postal code has been put on hold, according to Manuel Valerio at last week's City Council meeting.
Residents had been notified through the mail that as of July 1, some ZIP codes would be altered. But Valerio announced in an April City Council meeting that the proposed change has been deferred indefinitely. He said the postal service is reconsidering the timing and process of adjusting the ZIP code and will notify residents though the mail of any new developments in the future.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
